Bury v Reds: Match Preview

Head coach Lee Johnson will be eager for an immediate response from his players following the Reds’ 2-0 home defeat against Wigan a week ago.

The loss ended the Club’s three match unbeaten run and also prevented them from winning three on the bounce for the first time since August.

A 13thleague defeat of the campaign so far also means the Reds remain in the relegation zone but only a point separates the Tykes and 20thplaced Shrewsbury.

Johnson’s side will be able to take heart from some good form on the road of late however, with the Club winning three of their last four away from Oakwell including their last two against Wigan and then Colchester.

Bury meanwhile also saw their two-match winning streak brought to an abrupt halt last weekend after they went down to a 4-1 defeat at Southend.

It was a third loss in four for the Shakers in League One, meaning they have won just three of their last 11 matches in the league.

Despite that, David Flitcroft’s side remain just one point outside the play-offs and with four wins from their last five home games in all competitions they will be hoping to bounce back on Saturday.

Previous Meetings

Barnsley will be searching for their first win against Bury in over 36 years when they travel to the JD Stadium this weekend.

Two defeats and two draws have come the Reds way since their 2-1 home win against the Shakers all the way back in November 1979 in the old third division.

Bury’s four-match unbeaten run against the Tykes began in January 1986 with a 2-0 home success in the FA Cup and following back-to-back draws in the 1998-99 campaign, a 1-0 triumph for the Shakers in the Football League Trophy back in 2002 saw them move onto 24 wins in this fixture.

That clash remains the most recent between the sides however, with Saturday’s match the first in 13 years between the Clubs but despite that and Barnsley’s winless run against the Shakers, the Reds have won 27 of the 68 meetings since they first locked horns in 1907.

They have not tasted victory on the road against Bury since September 1969 however, meaning the Reds are without a win in their last seven visits to the JD Stadium.

Team News

Head coach Lee Johnson may opt to freshen things up as the Reds prepare to play three matches in eight days.

Ivan Toney was recalled by parent club Newcastle in midweek, but Kevin Long extended his stay from Burnley for another month.

Captain Alfie Mawson should return to the starting XI after being an unused substitute against Wigan last weekend, while on-loan winger Lloyd Isgrove is pushing for a start.

Ryan Williams played the final 25 minutes as Johnson’s side went down to a 2-0 defeat against Latics and the Australian midfielder will be hoping to be included from the off for the first time since September.

Hosts Bury could also make changes following their 4-1 loss at Southend last Friday.

Winger Craig Jones, forward Tom Pope and former Chelsea man Jacob Mellis are all chomping at the bit after cameos off the bench against the Shrimpers.

One positive note in that game however, did see top goal scorer Leon Clarke return from illness and he is almost certain to lead the line for the Shakers on Boxing Day.

Man in the Middle

Kevin Wright will take charge of a Barnsley game for the ninth time on Saturday. So far the Reds have experienced a mixed set of results in his company; winning three, drawing one and losing four. Two of those eight games came last season, as the Cambridgeshire-born official watched over the Club’s 1-0 win at Rochdale in October 2014, before taking charge of their 1-0 South Yorkshire derby defeat against Doncaster in January when he also dismissed Barnsley defender Mason Holgate for a foul on Nathan Tyson.

This weekend’s hosts Bury have also failed to pick up any kind of consistency when Wright has been the man in the middle; losing one, winning one and drawing one. Their only victory in Wright’s company came last season when he was the referee for the Shakers’ 2-1 home success against Accrington Stanley.

So far this season, Wright – who will be assisted by linesmen Marc Edwards and Kevin Mattocks at the JD Stadium - has been in charge of 18 games; brandishing 53 yellow cards and three reds. The first of those came on the opening day of the campaign, when he dismissed Scunthorpe goalkeeper Luke Daniels. Leyton Orient’s Alan Dunne and Oldham defender Jonathan Burn have also seen the official reach for his back pocket; with both of them seeing red in October.

Their Star Man

In June Bury became the 16thClub to sign powerful forward Leon Clarke. The journeyman ended last season on loan at Wigan but scored just one goal in 10 appearances for the Lancashire side. His temporary switch to the DW Stadium came from parent Club Wolves, where he bagged three times in 32 outings following his move from Coventry City in January 2014. That was his second spell at Molineux, but it was at the Ricoh Arena that Clarke enjoyed his most prolific spell; finding the back of the net 28 times in 43 games between January 2013 and January 2014.

Despite struggling for goals in the past 18 months, Shakers boss David Flitcroft moved quickly to snap up the front man’s services on a three-year contract following his release by Wolves. With renewed faith shown in him, Clarke began this season in stunning fashion, hitting nine goals in 10 games at the start of the campaign including braces against former Clubs Wigan and Coventry. Despite a four-game drought, the 30-year-old rediscovered his goal scoring boots with three goals in four games during November including another against former employers Wigan, this time in the FA Cup.

That leaves the pacey forward on 13 goals this term and with the likes of Chris Hussey and ex-Tyke Kelvin Etuhu providing chances from the wide areas, that tally will only rise in the coming weeks and months as Clarke looks to continue the kind of form which made him one of the most talked about forward’s in the Football League two years ago.

Mutual Man

Despite being born nearly 50 miles away in Scunthorpe, it was at Barnsley that forward Nathan Jarman began his career. At the age of 18 he made his Reds bow in a 3-2 League One defeat at Oldham; replacing Michael Boulding after 82 minutes. The teenager would go onto make another five appearances during the 2004-05 season including his first start for the Club which came in a 5-0 loss at Port Vale.

Another 11 outings came Jarman’s way in the first half of the following campaign but with the young forward in desperate need of regular first-team football, he joined Saturday’s hosts Bury on loan in January 2006. Despite great positivity surrounding the move it got off to the worst possible start, as the front man was shown a red card on his Shakers debut against Northampton. Upon his return from that dismissal, Jarman made only one more appearance in a Bury shirt before returning to Oakwell.

Two League Cup starts were all the striker could muster in the 2006-07 season though and despite enjoying a successful loan spell in non-league with Worksop Town he was released at the end of the campaign. Former Barnsley coach Stuart Watkiss would become Jarman’s saviour however; advising Grimsby Town boss Alan Buckley to take the forward on trial. After passing that inspection Jarman spent nearly three years at Blundell Park; netting seven times.

Spells with Corby Town, Alfreton Town, Chester and then North Ferriby United – where he scored 42 goals in two seasons – came Jarman’s way but in June, the former Tyke agreed a switch to move closer to home as he penned a deal with North Ferriby’s National League north rivals Gainsborough Trinity.

Form Guide

Bury’s last five at home: (WWWLW)

Bury 4-3 Blackpool

Bury 4-0 Wigan Athletic (FA Cup)

Bury 1-0 Burton Albion

Bury 1-2 Scunthorpe United

Bury 1-0 Chesterfield

Barnsley’s last five away from home: (LWLWW)

Altrincham 1-0 Barnsley (FA Cup)

Oldham Athletic 1-2 Barnsley

Peterborough United 3-2 Barnsley

Wigan Athletic 2-2 Barnsley (Barnsley won 4-2 on penalties; JPT)

Colchester United 2-3 Barnsley

Going to the match?

Bury plays at the JD Stadium, its address is as follows:

Bury Football Club, Gigg Lane, Bury, Lancs, BL9 9HR

How to get there

By Car:

can be found approx. 200 yards up the road on the right hand side.JD Stadium (2.5 Miles to the ground) leave the Motorway at Junction 3 (preferred route as this avoids the town centre). From the bottom of the slip road turn onto Pilsworth Road. This road curls around a large ASDA Supermarket, continue straight on around the mini roundabout (McDonalds on the corner) and continue straight ahead. Pilsworth Road merges with Croft Lane soon after with no visible indication. After approx. 1.1 miles, the road comes to a ‘T’ junction with Hollins Lane and Hollins Brow. Carry on in the same direction and onto ‘Hollins Brow’, this road then curls round to the right before meeting Manchester Road and traffic lights at the bottom of the hill. Turn right onto Manchester Road and continue towards the ground for approx. 1.2 miles. Gigg Lane is on the right hand side (Redvales Playing Fields on the left). The ground is well signposted. Once you turn onto Gigg Lane, the From the M66 (Junction 3):

(3.4 miles to the ground) Leave the motorway at junction 17 and follow the signs for Bury (A56 Bury New Road). Continue in this direction for approx. 3.1 miles. This road will eventually merge with Manchester Road with no obvious signs. Continue along Manchester Road and Gigg Lane is on the right hand side (Redvales Playing Fields on the left). The ground is well signposted. Once you turn onto Gigg Lane, the JD Stadium can be found approx. 200 yards up the road on the right hand side.From the M60 (Junction 17 – signposted A56 Whitefield & Prestwich):

By Train & Bus:

There are no Train Stations in Bury. The nearest main line station is Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria. The Metrolink Tram system operates from both and is a direct service to Bury. Once you exit the Metrolink Station in Bury, the ground is a good 15 minute walk.

The 135 Bus Service also departs from the same station and drops on Manchester Road at the bottom of Gigg Lane (Every 15 minutes service). Taxis are also on hand outside the Interchange Tram/Bus Station. To walk to Gigg Lane. Come out of the Tram exit, up the stairs and turn right. Cross the Dual Carriage Way (Angouleme Way) and head down Market Street (Bury College is on both sides of the road). At the bottom of the road, continue over the mini roundabout and continue down Market Street until you come to Bury Cemetery Gates – this is Gigg Lane, the Stadium can be found by turning right and walking for approx. 500 yards

Ticket Information

Tickets are priced as follows:

£22Adult

£16Senior Over 65

£16Unemployed (must present JSA at Bury)

£16Student (must present valid NUS at Bury)

£16Under 23

£6Under 11

(please add one 'family adult' and one 'family juv' to basket.)£22Family Ticket - one adult and one child under 16

The Official Club coaches will departs Oakwell at 12.15pm on the day of the game and is priced at £14 per seat.